"Hot, Damn Hot!" - July Is Hottest Month. Ever

In the immortal words of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam: July was Hot, Damn Hot! In fact, according to NOAA, it was the hottest July and hottest month on record and there's no short-term indication of this massively dry spell ending anytime soon. What is perhaps even more impressive is that the the last year has been the warmest 12-month period for the contiguous US since records began in 1895!

Just crazy anomalous conditions wherever you look in July...

with March through July all setting records for highest temperatures on record...